Let's bomb the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Yeah, that's a great idea!  You have to wonder what, exactly, is going through the mind or minds or the person or people the enacted this horrific event.  Why?  I don't understand people who just want to kill others.  Okay, let me say here that there are circumstances where a person can lose it and potentially get some sympathy from the public.

Revisit the dad whose 2 young sons were killed when they were attempting to push their broken down vehicle back to their house.  A drunk driver smashed those kids and the dad - shot the man in the head.  Whether it's right or wrong?  I can definitely see where the man's mind would be at under such circumstances.  That drunk driver just took his offspring from him.  I don't know that, in such circumstances, I would have killed the driver, but - I am not going to say that that driver would have walked away under their own power.

I'm going to wait on this one.  Who did this? Al Qaeda?  A nutcase?  Some other militant group?  A rogue nation?  This is the world we live in and it's full of evil.  There is no understanding such things taking place, only the fact that this world is corrupt.

Onto other things. Church was amazing on Sunday.  Absolutely incredible. The presence of the Lord was palpable.  I had a word from the Lord that was intense. I didn't give it, though I should have.  An older lady came up to me while all of this was going on - rather surprising - sat down next to me and told me that she was not going to let me go on this one.  What?  "You have a word!  You must share it with the Body of Christ!"  

I was taken aback. Not in a bad way, she was right: I had a word yet I go through so many mind-battles at church, still, that I don't want to go up front, pick up a microphone and start speaking. Not that I am afraid to - I have preached in front of a lot of people - but I don't want to give out something that is not purely from the Lord.  I never did get up there.  She came up to me after the service and apologized, asking me for my forgiveness for offending me.

NO, I replied, you definitely did not offend me! I need a good boot in the rear.  A short discussion and she asked if I would at least write it out and send it to the pastor.  I agreed to that and I did.  He wrote me back and exclaimed how powerful a word it was and could he share it with the elders?  After that, he then said he wanted to share it with the entire congregation.

I am no great man of God. I am a faulted human.  This is my hangup.  After I got divorced, ministry went by the wayside and got off track.  I have been off track for so long, it's been very hard to try and get back into the swing of things concerning church and ministry.  Yet I hear these things coming from the heavenlies and it churns within me, especially during services.

Well, anyway, onto other things.  I went outside today to feed the fish in the ponds and was startled at the site of the horse trough pond.  All the fish were at the top, gasping for air.  A fish's version of drowning.  Meaning there isn't enough oxygen in the water.  A quick check found that the aerator had quit working.  Goodness gracious.  I don't want my fish dying like that!  I quickly went to the front pond that has nothing but mosquito eating fishing in it, grabbed the aerator off of it and set it up.  I then removed the waterfall filter - it was clogged - and cleaned it out and put it back.  I then got some pavers and put underneath that filter - which pours out water over the side of it, making a waterfall - and made it a higher fall of water, meaning greater aeration.  After that, I started pumping fresh water into the pond.

I hope that is enough to get them into a better situation.  Tomorrow I am going to buy 2 aerators for that pond and get it fully oxygenated.  But, fish attempting to sip air through their mouths at the surface are fish that won't last very long.  I am going to go out there in a minute and check again, it should be getting better in there by now.  Enough that they don't have to be hanging out at the surface.

It's late, for me anyway, need to get to bed.

G'nite.

ben

It doesn't take much to make me happy, I guess, cause' that Queensland Bottle Tree is finally taking off!  It's putting out leaves like crazy!  I am helping it along with frequent waterings and fertilizer.  It likes it, lol.  It's fun to watch an "exotic" tree - certainly not native to this area and I've only seen one growing in a back yard (which is where I found out about them to begin with) - growing and liking this kind of desert environment.

But, I'm going to have to transplant it.  I picked a bad spot to put it.  I realized that after remembering how huge the trunks get.

The RV trailer is gone.  It is amazing how nice it looks out there without that big ole' thing blocking the view of everything.  I'm considering taking the money from the sale and paying off my car.  I owe about as much as I got from the trailer on it and I would like to be done with the payments on it.  The free'd up monthly payment would be very nice to have indeed.

I considered getting an above-ground swimming pool - but I decided against it.  The summers here heat up the water in those kinds of pools  to the point it becomes unusable.  You have to drain the water out and refill - which is pretty costly when talking thousands of gallons of water and having to do that semi-frequently.   An in-ground pool would be wonderful if I had an extra 15 grand or more laying around, lol.

350 man strikes again.  My newest tenant was coming home from Circle K (convenience store a block away).  He said he was listening to music and walking by 350 man's house when 350 man came rushing out his door, in the front yard and started glaring at him.  Tenant was taken aback.  He wasn't even looking at 350 man's house, much less starting any trouble.

I ended up telling him the entire story of the situation between us and also with my next-door neighbor.  He wasn't afraid or intimidated, in fact, he said if he "was like I used to be" they would have brawled already. I won't tolerate 350 man attempting to intimidate my tenants.  I will go straight back to court and get another restraining order if that s*** keeps happening.

Anyway, weekend here.  Taking Friday off - only because if I don't, I won't accrue any more vacation hours starting next month, I will be over my 140. Don't use them, don't accrue them.  I'll take the time off, thank you very much.

Ummm, gotta get movin'.  Stuff to do around the house.

G'day.

ben

Trailer sold.  Less than I wanted but enough to make me happy.

News flash: It's Furrrrrrrrrridayyyyyyy!

Next news flash: I got started late!

Off to work!

G'day!

ben

The trailer has been sold!

I think.

Lol.

An entire family was here yesterday for almost 2 hours.  They had looked at a lot of other trailers.  All old trailers need some kind of work, but mine is in very good condition and though there are things wrong with it, nothing serious or major.

These people live approximately half a mile away, lol.

Well, they are coming back today with money, hopefully.  Never call it a done deal until money is in hand of course.

With that?

Time to be off to work!

ben

I make no apologies, I am not a proponent of gun control.  I don't care what Obama and his ilk are saying or how badly he wants to lambaste Republicans in an attempt to make them look evil for taking any kind of stand against it - which is exactly what he is attempting to do - gun control is not going to work and that has been proven repeatedly, time and time again in other nations throughout the world through a vast expanse of time.

None of these measures they are proposing would have stopped the Newtown killer from obtaining the weapons he had stolen from his mother.  None of these proposals will do anything about all the existing guns in Americans' hands so what's the point?  Not only that, but gun manufacturers in anti-gun states are considering leaving those states for green pastures.  I can't blame them.  I DO like the idea of starting somewhere at a baseline to deal with mentally ill individuals, but even then I think you start on a slippery slope.

Whatever the case and completely changing the subject, my son now has to raise $4,000 to go to Hawaii for his year long missionary venture, apparently the Salvation Army pays the rest.  I can do a little, but he is going to have to reach out to all of his friends, extended family, do some fundraisers, save his money from his 2 month stint up in the mountains that he's going to do and maybe find some odd jobs to do.  I figure I'll chip in around $200 and call it good from my end.  I just can't do much more than that right now and even if I could, I probably wouldn't.  He is taking a step into a walk of faith in the Lord and if God wants him to go, then by golly, the Lord will make the way and he needs to learn how to trust in the Lord for his every need.

Is it Friday yet?  I think it was last summer that I took an extended vacation.  I'm really fighting the urge to put in for a week off here.  I want to wait until the summer to do so - better to take time off when it's boiling hot outside and not have to deal with that for a week.  I am at my maximum hours, well just short of them, for vacation so I have to take a day off here pretty quick, before the end of the month anyway so I don't start losing my vacation accrual.

But, I am ready for a longer vacation.  Only two months until June, so I am going to try to keep my cool about this and wait until at least June to take at least a week off.

Yikes!  Lost track of time, c'yall later, it's time to head in for work!

G'day.

ben

Neighbor Wars Have Escalated

It's all-out, full blown war.
My next door neighbor, who has been busy building his house - made his move yesterday.  I didn't find out about this until today, cause' I can't see that side of his house.

His neighbor - 350 man - installed metal fence posts into the ground - 23 inches into my neighbor's property - some time ago.  Ever since then, it's been all-out war.  But, it's a civil matter, not a criminal matter and my neighbor has been through the rungs in attempting to deal with this.

So yesterday?  He installed 2X4's into the ground - on 350 man's property side of the fence- but really it's my neighbor's property - to erect a fence.  My neighbor's lawyer informed him that he can't take down 350 man's fence posts, but he can install his own fence up to the real property line.  When my neighbor told me this today, I went to take a look.

Oh yes, he did.  And 350 man called the police.  The police can do nothing, a civil matter that only the court can decide.  My neighbor went into a long diatribe about how 350 man has called the city 100 times on him. This concerning the house he is building.

350 man.  A piece of work.  An under-funded, genetically defective piece of work, but a piece-of-work never-the-less.

I must admit to my tones towards him after finding out his wanderings on my property, in my back yard, after I go to sleep at night.  Not pleasant tones.  In fact, I would have to call it downright abrasive.  But who does this guy think he is, after all the trouble he has started with me, in coming into my back yard at night, after I have gone to bed?

I thought it was the water bill. A letter with City of Phoenix logo on it.
I opened it and found a note inside saying the city prosecutor has decided to press charges against the owner of the dogs that attacked Duke.
Very odd. They sent me a letter a month or two ago saying they were not going to do that.  It had talk in it about sending the woman to jail and this that and the other thing.
Well, they never asked me my opinion on the subject but the reality of it is, all I want is the money I had to spend on the vet back.  Perhaps put those dogs down.  That person is a very irresponsible dog owner seeing from the numerous times I have driven past there and seen the gate open and the door to the house open.  Those dogs could easily just run out of the house and start their junk all over again.  My dogs have gotten out before, but they don't go tearing up the first animal they see.

But I'm not a fan of Pit Bulls and anytime they attack anyone or other dog I am a fan of seeing them put down.
_________________________________________

Started this entry yesterday.  It is official now: Caleb is going to spend a year in Hawaii, leaving sometime in September.  He is also going to do another 2 month stint as a camp counselor at the Salvation Army's camp up in Heber.  The stint in Hawaii is also through the Salvation Army.  The winds of change have finally come for him and I am excited about what God is going to do in and through his life.  I am not exactly excited I won't be seeing him, but that's the way life is and the way God has set things up.  Normal, in other words, for your children to leave after they grow up and find their own way.  I am guessing after that year in Hawaii he will be moving on towards the things his heart is full of, which at the moment is to become a minister in Japan.

I am feeling rather tied down at this point.  I remember the days of missionary life and as hard and sometimes trying as they might have been, I wouldn't trade that experience for anything on this earth.  It's hard to break free from the "chains that bind you", which in this case is the life I am currently living in working a full time job; making house payments and all that comes with that and basically doing much of nothing else if comparing it to the life I lived some time ago.  But, until I get a clear picture of what I should be doing with the rest of my life in contrast to what the Bible says - I will do nothing but what I already do and that is to help people as much as I can.

_____________________________________

So Saturday. So far, I have done much of nothing excepting to refill the 2 Hummingbird feeders, brown a roast and put it into a crockpot and ponder some bills that are due to be paid.  I haven't been invited to go with, but I have been informed about a festival going on in downtown Tempe, starting 10 minutes ago.  A bunch of local artists will be there showing off their work. Sounds intriguing, actually, I can get lost in a good painting.

Well, just listed the RV trailer for the however manyeth time on Craigslist.  I am thinking I am going to have to break down and list it on RV Trader for at least one month or however they do it now-a-days and see if I have better luck there. I've had a couple of people come look at it, but so far nothing.

Off to work.  I have plenty to do outside and I have a person coming at 1:30 to take some of the Yerba Mensa that is growing like crazy off of my hands.  I need to get rid of some if, it consumes a large amount of water and drains my pond down quickly.  Let someone else have some water draining plants! For free at that!

G'day.

ben

Well, I am finally getting a run tomorrow morning out-of-town.  To Globe. I have been there numerous times for this company but not anytime recently.  In fact, I have been stuck on in-town trips forever.  My manager does not want me going out-of-town, he wants me here for the in-town junk.  It is junk not because of the job or the deliveries, but because of the unbelievable shit that happens in traffic with idiots every day.

Today?  Let's talk about one incident in particular.  I had finished delivering to a job-site - which was no small feat in itself and would have had to have made a video of the maneuvers I had to make to get in and more to the point: OUT of that place.  I was on the freeway bridge.  I did not pay any attention, whatsoever, as to what was going on on the freeway underneath me.

In a few seconds, I had wished I did.  I made the left-hand turn and looked ahead - nothing but a sea of stopped cars both on the freeway and the on-ramp I was on.  I got to the point where the cars were - parked - in front of me and waited.  And waited. And waited.  At some point, numerous vehicles merged onto the shoulder and started backing up the 500 feet to the freeway entrance.  At another point, they simply got to a point where they could turn around and started driving the wrong way! This wasn't a situation where traffic was moving very slowly and stopping and moving, this was a situation where NOTHING was moving AT ALL!

I called 511 on my cellphone and heard a recording tell me that the freeway "is closed at Williamsfield road".   Willaimsfield road? The next exit, 2 miles away. At the rate we weren't going, it would take hours!! Well, eventually and after calling in to let them know that I was stuck in non-moving traffic, it all started to move again, albeit very slowly.  I observed all lanes after finally getting to the point of actually entering the freeway and notice the "high speed lane" or far left lane was moving faster than all of them.  I moved over to that lane immediately and spent the next 25 minutes there moving 2 miles.

When I finally got to the accident scene, wow.  Jack-knifed big rig.  SUV that had obviously rolled at least once, crumpled like a tin can after crunching it, entire roof had been cut off by first-responders to remove the victims inside. Another car had also rolled and it was totally trashed.  I mean trashed as in crumpled and destroyed, not just minor damage.  TRASHED trashed!  Another vehicle - a pickup - but I could only see parts of it - the parts I see damaged but the rest was blocked by the wrecked semi.

OH, wait a minute, THAT wasn't the thing I wanted to talk about concerning idiots in traffic!  That just came to my mind because it took so long to get past it.

Okay, this will take less writing on my part and reading on yours:  I just got off the freeway - yes, I am drinv the semi.  48 foot flatbed (skateboard truckers call it).  I am in the "slow" right-hand lane.  There is a side-street I am approaching.  A Discount Cab car comes flying up beside me, cuts directly in front of me - less than a car's length and then SLAMS on the brakes to slow down enough to make a turn on the side-street which is now maybe 30 feet in front of me.

I'm shutting the truck down, laying on the horn, wondering if I'm going to rear-end this complete and total idiot.  Fortunately for me, I had off-loaded most everything on the truck at the prior deliveries so truck was light and easier to get slowed down. If the truck had been loaded heavy, I would have taken that car out.

 I immediately became infuriated with this moron.  It would have cost his life if any and I do not want to be responsible for taking someone else's life, regardless of the fact I would not have been at fault.  I turned onto the side street and followed him - sort of - he was driving erratically and well above the speed limit, just enough to get his license and cab number before he cranked into an apartment complex.

I called Discount Cab a while later and got a woman on the phone who "would be glad to take my complaint".  No, I said, I want to speak to driver management.  She connects me to someone else.  "Are you in management?" "Hold on, please".  Another person.  Same question.  Hold please.  Another person, same question. "Yes, I am the operations manager". Thank you.  I let loose.  You have a driver that is a complete and total liability to your company, among other statements.

I don't know what that man did about it, I can only call in and complain. A person driving like that is going to have a mishap eventually and it is going to cost the taxi company in insurance premiums.

Well enough. Time for bed.

ben

Finally!

My little Queensland Bottle Tree finally  started growing again!  I mean, the thing stopped growing near the end of fall last year and hasn't grown an inch since then. Now, Spring came and here we go!  It had a total of 9 leaves on it and that was that.  Now?  Growing up - sending out new leaves and looking very promising!

Monday.  Not a good day for me.  At sometime around midnight last night, someone slammed the back door and woke me up out of a dead sleep.  I got mad - it takes me a long time to get back to sleep usually - I ended up with about 4 hours of sleep last night.  I did not want to get out of bed this morning.  I was on my way to work and a salesman called - it was 5:45 am!  But, he just wanted to vent about a particular LTL company - Central Freight  to be exact - that had left a giant part sitting on a dock on Thursday of last week when it should have been loaded into the truck and on the dock at their Phoenix facility on Friday morning.

This part shut a whole jobsite down and Central Freight offered nothing  to compensate.  We will be suggesting to the company that shipped it - which ships out a LOT of freight on a daily basis, to reconsider using a freight company that has screwed things up on numerous occasions.

Well, I got to work and started right in.  Not 30 minutes into it and loading pallet, I threw a 120 pound solid metal fitting onto the pallet.  My right hand was in the way.  More precisely, my right hand ring finger.  I saw a split second before it happened what was going to happen and I just couldn't get my hand out of the way fast enough.  The part landed on the pallet and was instantly forced sideways up against another, heavy, metal part.

Yup, my finger was in the way.  Lots of blood and intense pain. I got the bleeding stopped quickly, but the pain? Smashed finger meat.  Pain doesn't go away very fast when you smash your meat.  It just doesn't.  I put ice on it immediately, the only thing I know of to keep the swelling down and to reduce the pain.  Well not the only thing, but ice is very effective and if you freeze it enough, it's going to help.

But, I was working and every time I started lifting or pulling on something, the bleeding started again, not to mention exponential amounts of pain ripping through the finger, into the brain, telling me this doesn't feel very good.  I don't deal with things that are light, the stresses placed on fingers, hands, arms, body are enormous at times.  A freshly smashed finger isn't really willing to deal with all of that.

Well, I get to a job site and the truck is completely loaded.  The finger started bleeding again to the point of soaking the glove on that hand with blood.  Hope you aren't eating while reading this, lol.  No, this isn't an April Fool's joke, either, the joke was on me if anything.  I just continued on with getting the truck unloaded and when finally done, took off the glove, removed the bandage and poured bottled water on it to clean it, dried it and then put a fresh bandage on it.

But, the pain didn't stop. I left work early today.  I just wanted to go home, put ice on it and deal with the pain. A drink or two wouldn't hurt, either.  And so it was, I got home before 2:00 pm, something that hasn't happened in a long time.  One of my tenants went and got ice in a paper towel and handed it to me.  I'm feeling better now and no bleeding since I got home.  Slept for 2 hours.

___________________
Ummm, got off of writing this and now the next morning, almost time to leave for work.  Finger feeling a bit better, but still painful if I rub it up against anything.  Oh well.

G'day.

ben

Happy Easter!

I am leaving in a few minutes to spend a portion of the day with my mother - and my brother and his son.  My son is also coming along with me.  I have no idea how this will turn out, but probably can turn out okay if my brother keeps politics out of the discussion.  If he starts in on it, well, I may just get up and leave.  It never turns out well when he starts in on his political views, which are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum than mine.  He can't agree to disagree agreeably - as the old saying goes - he's one of those "I'm right and you're wrong" people.  I could even stand that if he weren't so obnoxious about it.

He will make some absurd statement about Obama and all of the things he's "accomplished" and if I say anything back to the contrary, he simply can't stand it.  He will then start interrupting, raising his voice and acting as if I had just insulted him personally because I do not and won't ever agree with much of his political views.

My mother's political views and mine are almost identical.  But, she just keeps her mouth shut when my bro starts in on his ranting.  He does not visit her often and so she will put up with whatever in exchange for time spent with her son and grandson.  IF things can possibly take an amenable turn today, I will offer my brother the use of my trailer up on my mom's property to go up there for a visit.  Whether he wants to or not, I have no clue.  He used to go up there and camp, but I think camping is not his cup of tea anymore.  Fine and dandy, my trailer is home away from home.  It is very nicely decorated and has new, berber carpeting (that I installed myself and I am very pleased with it's outcome); new wallpaper that Lynnette installed last year and I have been upgrading it as money permits.

It also has AC, so no baking out there in the summer when the mid-afternoon heat hits.  It gets in the 90's in the summer in the afternoons.  It is not pleasant to be in if you are in a tent.  Been there, done that.  But, sitting in a trailer, watching TV if you are so inclined or just taking a snooze with the AC on a completely different story.  It has hot, running water (during the time of year I can keep water in the holding tank and not worry about it freezing up and freezing the lines), a microwave, etc.

Although the offer may be made, I actually do not expect him to take me up on it.  He doesn't want to go up there and visit mother, that's my take on it anyway.  Neither does my oldest brother.  The both have become very disinterested in much of anything to do with their parents.  They call her occasionally, they see her once or twice a year and that's it.  Pretty amazing considering they live - about 50 miles apart.  And when my oldest brother is up at his cabin, they are about 7 miles apart.

Well, whatever the case, I must depart for the grand feast.  Whatever may happen there, one thing is always for sure: the food will be tremendous!

Happy Easter again!\

ben

Happy Good Friday

And a Good Friday it is.  Christ died on the Cross so we can have eternal life!

Well, this weekend is already done.  Saturday is going to be continuing to work around the yard outside - the amount of work left is dwindling - especially with Gilbert's help last weekend, he went to town out front - but there is still plenty to do.

New tenant is moved in and paid in full for the month.  That's a good thing.

If I'm not too tired, I will go to tonight's celebratory church service in remembrance of what Christ did on the cross.  I will not be able to make church on Sunday because of Easter plans with mother, so prolly otter get in there tonight if at all possible - I just tend to start yawning and getting sleepy at about the time the service starts at 7:00 pm.  I know, it's ridiculous, I"m a full grown adult and getting sleepy like a 5 year old would at 7:00, but the early rise lifestyle at work, you know.

Getting close to 250,000 gold coins in the myVegas thing.  Although plans can always change, I am looking forward to getting at least twice that many gold coins if not many more than that and having a near-free vacation to Vegas in August.  What are you going to do in Vegas? Well with that many gold coins, still in very, very nice hotel and probably take in a show or two.  I love blackjack and have never played it in Vegas.  Not that it's that much different there than anywhere else, but I do believe the house rules concerning the game is probably a bit better up there.  There are things that some casinos do to give the house an even greater advantage.

Well, that's all the time I have for now, time to be off to work!

G'day.

ben